Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Letters

by Personnel Today 9 Jul 2002
by Personnel Today 9 Jul 2002

This week’s letters

Stand tall amid the prejudices

I was interested to read John Philpott’s article about ‘lookism’ (Comment,
18 June), and would like to see the data that supports the statement:
"tall men earn more than short men".

At a statuesque 5 foot 3 inches, even some ‘short’ men seem tall to me and
when I walk along the street with really tall friends, a mobile phone comes in
useful.

I agree that ‘lookism’ can be a significant barrier to the career
progression of many individuals, whether they are short, bearded, bald or
overweight.

One’s outward appearance should never play any part in deciding or impeding
an individual’s career progression.

And while legislation to combat such prejudices would be impractical, a
sound competency and assessment framework can provide essential guidelines for
eliminating ‘lookism’ from all recruitment and promotion.

Peter Rafferty
Managing director, Fleming McGill HR Recruitment

HR management core part of MBA

I was surprised the study of MBA programmes in the article
‘What about the people’ (Features, June 25) showed that only eight out of 20
require students to study HR management.

People management is a core part of every MBA course I have
come across. I found it easier to accept that only a minority of programmes
offered training on personal development and leadership skills, since this
finding was also reported in a recent government study.

The Council for Excellence in Management and Leadership (CEML)
made a number of recommendations to ensure the content and focus of all
business and management education courses are tailored to the practical needs
of business and employees. Most business schools recognise the need to reform
their MBA programmes.

The CEML report focuses on management and leadership skills
rather than simply knowledge about business. It recommends the creation of a
strategic body to be charged with continually reviewing managers and leaders,
with the development of required competencies.

Organisations should say what capabilities they have in
management and leadership and how it is being developed.

To help with this, CEML has produced a toolkit for measuring
key aspects of capability.

With the steps taken by CEML, the Work Foundation, business
education providers and employers, the overall perceptions and benefits of
business education and management qualifications can be strengthened for the
good of all parties involved.

Professor Stephen Watson
Principal, Henley Management College and chairman of the
Association of Business Schools

Safer to keep an internal focus?

Your Comment ‘Out of touch MBAs add little to bottom line’
(News, 25 June) overstepped the mark.

An MBA is not for developing the capability to trot out the
same business models as those studied, but to allow students to combine several
tools and make informed choices.

You cite the Work Foundation finding that half of MBA graduates
leave their employer within 12 months of graduating. Whose fault is that? If
firms fund people through study and then fail to take advantage, they deserve
to suffer.

Plenty of training activity undertaken by organisations has no
clear outcome, no measurable impact and no demonstrable understanding of the
business benefit. MBA study is no different and the responsibility for change
lies with HR.

Instead of sniping at consultants, look a little deeper. HRM is
one of the most poorly defined and represented business disciplines, and it is
reflected in the teaching of many business schools.

HR managers are not making the effort to get MBAs, understand
the business environment and make a difference. Maybe it is safer to keep an
internal focus, collect CIPD badges and carry on administrating the strategies
of others?

Perhaps the real agenda for change is one that stops HR being
on the outside looking in.

Kevin Ball
HR manager, Endsleigh Insurance Services

Avatar
Personnel Today

previous post
UK profitability falls for third consecutive year
next post
Working out a compromise

You may also like

Five steps for organisations across the globe to...

8 Jun 2022

The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls

24 May 2022

Grants scheme set up to support women’s health...

16 May 2022

How music can help to ease anxiety at...

9 May 2022

OH will be key to navigating ‘second pandemic’...

14 Apr 2022

OH urged to be aware of abortion consultations...

8 Apr 2022

How coached eCBT is returning the workplace to...

8 Apr 2022

Why now is the time to plug the...

7 Apr 2022

Two-thirds of shift workers feel health affected by...

18 Mar 2022

TUC warns of April Covid risk assessment ‘confusion’

14 Mar 2022
  • The ultimate guide to payroll for small businesses PROMOTED | You’ve started a business that has expanded to the point of requiring more staff to meet demand. Congratulations!...Read more
  • NSPCC revamps its learning strategy with child wellbeing at its heart PROMOTED | The NSPCC’s mission is to prevent abuse and neglect...Read more
  • Diversity versus inclusion: Why the difference matters PROMOTED | It’s possible for an environment to be diverse, but not inclusive...Read more
  • Five steps for organisations across the globe to become more skills-driven PROMOTED | The shift in the world of work has been felt across the globe...Read more
  • The future of workforce development PROMOTED | Northumbria University and partners share insight...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+